chicagospablog

It's Chris-miss time at Spa Space

2010-03-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

What are the chances? It's two days prior to Christmas, and we're frantically processing gift certificates while servicing scores of guests looking to squeeze in some pre-holiday pampering and grooming. The busiest week of the year at Spa Space in all respects.

Diligently working in the management office, Nicki (Spa Space's general manager) and I are engaged in a higher-than-average volume of problem-solving exercises. Suddenly, a flustered spa attendant enters the management office, stating that there is a woman in the locker room named Christy (her name will become important later in this story) complaining that she has been waiting for a long time for her couple's massage to begin, and that her partner was taken long ago. We check Christy's schedule, and it turns out that she is indeed scheduled for a couple's massage starting at 12pm (it's now 12:30). So we check which therapist she is scheduled to be seeing, and discover that her therapist has signed up to work in the couple's room (which makes sense, since she was to perform a couple's massage), but the door to that room is closed, which by Spa Space protocol, means that a service is in session.

Now, we've had therapists take the wrong client before (which is what we immediately guess may have happened) but wait a minute - they are in the couple's room. How could a couple's massage be going on when one of the members of the couple is still in the locker room?

After much confusion and rapid-fire investigation, we learn that Christy's massage therapist thought that her client was a man named Chris instead of a woman named Christy.  Therefore, when it was time for the massage to begin, the therapist knocked on the men's locker room door and asked for Chris, and a man answered, "give me a minute."  Meanwhile, the other therapist performing the couple's massage headed to the couple's massage suite with the other client (whom I'll call Susan).  After a few minutes, Chris emerged from the men's locker room, and was led to the couple's suite where the massage had already begun with Susan. So we have a couple's massage in progress, but it's with Susan and Chris (a man), rather than Susan and Christy (a woman).

We're baffled. Didn't one of them notice that the person next to them wasn't supposed to be there? If you're Susan, aren't you wondering why there is a strange man next to you, instead of your partner, Christy, a woman? If you're Chris, aren't you wondering why you are being massaged next to an unknown woman, when you should be in a private massage room? Apparently, neither noticed, or they were too polite to comment.

Of course, Christy is none too pleased that her partner, Susan, is currently receiving a couple's massage with a strange man. We have no choice other than to knock on the door, alert Chris's therapist of the situation, and move Chris to another room so that Christy can receive her couple's massage with Susan. Awkward!

At the end of the day, everyone left happy - Chris and Susan both received extra-long massages and Christy was treated to one on the house. For me, this situation reinforced my position that couple's massage is primarily a gimmick - something that looks romantic when you see it done on The Bachelor - but in reality you're not holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes because your head is in a face cradle and you're looking at the floor.  And if your therapist is any good, you're too relaxed to engage in conversation. I'm all for "simultaneous massage" - where you schedule massages at the same time and receive them in separate rooms, meeting up afterwards to head home to the couch or out for a relaxing dinner. But plenty of people really want to be in the same space as their partner and there's no convincing them otherwise.

I often wonder what would happen if Susan and Chris bumped into each other in the real world. Would they recognize each other and have a laugh over it? Or would they know the other seemed familiar, but not know why? It's funny when you think about all the things that can go wrong (and do) when you're running a business.   We'll put this one in the category of "so unbelievable you couldn't even make it up."

Introducing the feminine wipe

2009-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Pre-Spa Space (when I was still a practicing attorney), a typical department meeting that I attended might have involved the review of legal forms or a discussion on how to interpret a particular Internal Revenue ruling. Yesterday, I called for collaboration among the Spa Space estheticians to determine the most appropriate way to offer clients receiving brazilian waxing a cleansing feminine wipe without causing awkwardness.
You see, I'm convinced that it's the "small things" that separate the good from the great in this industry - the little touches that make clients smile and build loyalty. For instance, after being repeatedly asked for ponytail holders from massage clients wanting to pull their hair back, we decided to stock them in the locker room and make them readily available for complimentary usage. I've never seen this at another spa, and we've had many comments from guests about how much they appreciate this small amenity.

So I'm always on the lookout for ways that we can enhance the client experience. Which brings me to the feminine wipe. First, let me say that it's truly incredible how often I am questioned, in detail, by both men and women on the topic of brazilian waxing. I can be at a loud, festive dinner party when the subject arises, and suddenly, silence - as if I'm the key witness in a notorious murder trial. There is a fascination out there (particularly among people over 35 for whom this service has not been a way of life since puberty) - they want to know how many people remove all the hair vs. leaving a strip (about 78%), whether men receive this service (they do), whether straight men receive this service (they do), how estheticians get trained to perform the service (there are classes with brave volunteers for practice), and so much more. The women I know who don't receive brazilians (fewer and fewer exist) voice discomfort in the intimacy of such a service. It has come to my attention that at least part of the issue - in addition to the minor "fear of pain" thing (I'm tyring to be delicate here as I begin to wonder why I thought it was a good idea to write about this topic) - is that sometimes women worry that unless they've just showered, they may not be entirely, um...fresh. Once I realized that this is a common concern, aha!, I saw an opportunity to enhance the client experience.
Hence, the wipe. But how do we offer the wipe to clients, particularly existing clients, without making them feel like it's in response to a past encounter? ("Nice to see you again, Ms. Smith. This time I've left you a freshening wipe to use before your service.") See the problem? The key is to make sure that the wipe is viewed as an amenity, and not a rebuke.
So we pulled together the best minds in the business (our esthetics department) for a language-crafting session designed to ensure the comfort of all. After much discussion (and more than a few hilarious suggestions), we developed a script. Just before leaving the room so the client can disrobe, the esthetician will say the following (different language to be used for new vs. returning clients):

New clients: "I have left a disposable bikini bottom on the table in case you'd like to wear it during the waxing, and also a cleansing wipe in case you'd like to freshen up."
Returning clients "Your disposable bikini is on the table, and we've also started providing cleansing wipes for all of our clients - it's up to you if you'd like to use it."

Not perfect, but pretty good, I think (we're open to suggested improvements). One thing I learned as an attorney is to choose your words carefully, as everything is open to interpretation. Whoever said that law school is wasted on spa owners (e.g., my Uncle Eddy - he strongly disapproved of my career change) clearly knew not of what he spoke.

When seredipity speaks, I listen

2009-12-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

It was not more than 2 weeks ago that I declared myself a Twitter ignoramus, and surrendered the practice of twittering. In fact, I chose to launch this very blog as an alternative method of cyber-communicating with anyone who might be interested in my chatter. However, as an avid believer in paying attention to the signals of the universe (the Alchemist was a life-changing book), I have to re-think my decision. Yesterday, I had 3 individuals, wholly unrelated to one another and without prompting, tell me in no uncertain terms that I "MUST MUST MUST Twitter" (in the words of one). I respect the opinions of each. So I've been doing some research and trying to better grasp the purpose and benefit of using Twitter as a business tool.

My philosophy as an entrepreneur and a manager dictates fluidity and openness. I believe you have to move in the direction that the tide (and the market) takes you. If I stood rigidly firm to my business plan, Spa Space would have been out of business before you could say the words Pineapple Papaya Pacific Paradise. In fact, for me, reading my original business plan for Spa Space is something of an exercise in torture. It's almost as bad as reading my journals from college. Nostalgic, but embarassing. I barely recognize that naive person in there. It is in that spirit - don't stick to decisions just because they seemed good at the time (otherwise I could still be wearing crop tops and drinking Long Island Ice Teas) - that I am changing my mind and returning with a fresh approach to Twitter. I hope you'll follow me there. www.twitter.com/spaspace

Spa Space Named Best Sauna in Chicago!

2009-12-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

What an honor - the people voted, and the verdict is in. We have the #1 Best Sauna in Chicago according to Citysearch voters. There's only one problem. We don't have a sauna. Perhaps the voters were in the spa on the one hot day this summer - the same day that the air conditioning went out, of course - and they confused the treatment rooms for large, luxurious saunas. They must have thought to themselves, wow, these are fancy saunas - carpeting, candles, and they even massage you while you sweat!

How does this happen? Not that I'm complaining - winning in any category increases our profile online and generates new business. And we did win some good categories (Best Couple's Massage, Best Men's Grooming, etc), and we came in 2nd place in most others (Best Spa, Best Massage, etc.). But I guarantee you that the day will come where a client visits for a day of services, asks "where are the saunas?" and upon learning that we have none, sends me a scalding letter telling me that we ruined her birthday/anniversary/graduation because she only came to Spa Space due to our ranking on Citysearch.com as "Best Sauna."   She will accuse us of "false advertising" and "misrepresentation" and all kinds of other crimes of character. Then, she will demand a full refund for her massage, facial, manciure, pedicure, brazilian wax and seaweed wrap, because although they were admittedly wonderful, she could not fully enjoy them due to the Dissappointment of the Missing Sauna.

All of this begs the question in the world of customer service - where do you draw the line, if anywhere? I absolutely embrace the customer service mantra that "the client is always right" and I make it a policy to own up to our mistakes and shortfalls. Even when we don't make a mistake, but the client is dissatisfied, I'm comfortable apologizing, because the truth is, I am genuinely sorry that they were not satisfied.  I don't think one can be successful at customer service if pride (or being right) prohibits them from apologizing.  And by the way, sometimes we are at fault. Booking errors occur, technicians have bad days, front desk staff gets tired and un-perky. None of this is acceptable from a customer service standpoint, but as an owner, perfection is always a goal for which to strive and never a reality.

But in the case of a hypothetical irate client making unreasonable demands - quite simply, it makes me feel terrible - even when we have done nothing wrong. It festers and bothers me for days afterwards. I once had a client purchase a gift certificate for a friend, which we mailed out, and then the client changed her mind months later - some sort of falling-out with the friend- and she wanted us issue her a refund. When I explained that we had no way to cancel the gift certificate - the recipient could show up any time to use it, she told me to call the ex-friend and tell her that the gift certificate had been revoked. When I declined to do so - politely apologizing that I was not comfortable making such a call - I was confronted with screaming, berating and profanities. Now I'm not scared of profanity - actually rather fond of it outside of my customer service interactions - but when the f-ing B word is thrown at you (not out of love) and you have to remain calm, patient and pleasant, well, let's just say that it accelerates the aging process. I have yet to be pushed to the point where I've lost my calm, but I've come awfully close. Which begs the question - is there ever an appropriate circumstance to engage in negative dialogue in the context of customer service? I use this question during interviews with front desk candidates, and I would never hire someone who answers yes. But it can be a tall order - and more than once (although thankfully only a handful of times in the past 9 years), I've had to coach a staff member (self included) to repeat that other vital customer service mantra, "let it go, let it go, let it go."

You may think that this is the worst possible scenario in customer service, but in fact, it is not. The absolute worst is when a mistake or a flub actually is made, a client complains, and you try to make it right, but the client won't let you do anything to turn it around. Not a refund, not a complimentary service, just "I am not telling you this because I want anything, I just wanted you to know that I will not return." Ugh. Right through the heart. It's like getting caught throwing a high school party when your parents are out of town and instead of grounding you, they look at you with tears in their eyes and tell you how deeply you've disappointed them.  You feel tiny and pathetic and it hurts in your gut.

Why is it that the criticisms hit you with so much more power than the compliments? We can have a week with 1000 clients, where 999 of them leave happy, relaxed, and full of praise. But it is the one unhappy client -the one who didn't enjoy the cucumbers in the water, or whose favorite nail polish color was discontinued - that's the one whose comments linger in our minds and torment us for days to follow.  After much thought, I've decided that this is because making people happy is what we're supposed to be doing - it's our whole reason for being. So when we make people happy, it makes us feel good, but it's no big achievment.  It's just what we do. Like if you sell paper, and you sell some paper, you're not like, "wow, we sold paper!" But when someone leaves unhappy, that's like the opposite of our purpose - it's like being an orthodontist and making someone's teeth crooked. It's just feels totally wrong.

For me, there is a dichotomy in busines ownership - I care so much about what we're doing, and I'm so deeply invested emotionally - that the process of striving for perfection can be tormenting and stressful. On the other hand, I can't see myself doing something that I don't care about - it would feel wasteful and purposeless. I've experienced having a career where I was not emotionally invested (i.e. bored stiff), and while it was less stressful, it was equally less fulfilling.  Personally, I wouldn't trade reduced stress for fulfillment. Ironic, considering that I'm in the stress-reduction business. Massage, anyone?

Holy sh%$&*^, it's December already

2009-12-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it happens every year - first thing I know it's September and I gear up to start the Spa Space holiday strategy (come up with a clever theme, design new signage, acquire new and interesting retail for holiday gifts, etc.) and next thing I know it's December and nary a preparation has been executed. 2009 is no exception, despite it being Spa Space's 9th holiday season. It seems that something always arises that takes our eye off the Christmas ball and thoroughly distracts us until we find ourselves in a pressure cooker fit to cook a Christmas goose.

This year, the key distraction was the effort to re-build, re-design and re-launch our website and service menu. This website overhaul was initiated by an off-the-cuff comment of a good client: "Your website needs a serious makeover." Really? Initially taken aback, I pulled it up and looked at it with new eyes - critical eyes. He's right! Our website is lame - hard to find certain links, outdated photos (taken pre-expansion), sooo 2004. Suddenly, a source of pride became a source of shame, and I just couldn't bear to go another holiday season without an overhaul. It would be like wearing a reindeer sweater to dinner at Sunda.

AT first the project seemed pretty straightforward, but like most of our endeavors, to get to the beauty we had to suffer the beast. It's not a small website - around 45 pages of content - and everything is so darn linked. You change one thing, you have to change another thing, which leads to changing another, and so on and so on until you feel like you're in a shampoo commercial. I estimate that I spent no less than 200 hours working on it in the last month. Today, at a front desk meeting where we presented the new design and content to the staff, I have to admit that I was hoping for some oohing and ahhhing. Something to the effect of, "wow...what an improvement!" Or perhaps, "it's beautiful and functional - you're an aesthetic and tehnolgical guru!" I would have even settled for a "Nice!" Well, it was a morning meeting on a day that we normally open late, so maybe they were still half-asleep at 10:45am and the awe will come later.

I for one think it is a solid improvement and I hope that tonight's official "re-launch" - when they take the old one down and put the new one up - goes smoothly. For instance, I hope that we don't spend the month of December with a defective, frozen or absent website. I will likely worry about it all night until I see the new site posted safe and sound, as I have finally come around to my friend Dawn's mantra - "if you don't worry about it, it will happen." By the way, if you ask her "what if I spend my time worrying about that and then something else goes wrong?" you will be told, "that's why you have to worry about EVerything."

Check it out - http://www.spaspace.com/. If it's not there, you'll know I slept soundly.

My first blog.

2009-11-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

I tried Twitter, and honestly, I don't get it. Maybe I'm missing something - it wouldn't be the first time (I still remember with mild embarassment a conversation I had in '94 where I declared that the "Internet thing" would never fully catch on) - but I struggle to say anything of import or impact in a Twitter-sized space. When I get new Twitter followers whom I don't know (I don't have many) I find myself wondering what's wrong with them that makes them want to read my inane Twitters. Then I feel badly for judging people who are kind enough to pay attention. All around, a losing proposition.

So I'm trying a blog!

Why? Well, to be technologically up-to-speed, I guess. But also, on a regular basis, after witnessing or hearing about some element of my day, someone will utter the words, "this should be a reality show." Ok, I admit it, I love reality shows. It is shameful and embarassing, but I will watch almost any one of them. Even when I hate them I love them. They are fascinating because they are real. And I'm not dumb enough to think they're really real, but they have that reality-like quality that makes you feel like you're eavesdropping on a conversation and getting a window into someone else's life. Now, for the record, I have no desire - none- to become a reality TV star. So to any producer out there reading this blog (note that as I write this post I have not one follower), forget it, go find someone else to exploit. I'll gladly watch.

In addition to the reality show comments, not infrequently, I receive emails from folks I don't know asking all kinds of questions about what it's like to own a spa and how one goes about doing it. These are big questions - hard to answer in an email. I thought that it would be nice to refer these folks to a place where they could get a sense of it - for better or for worse. So I intend to use this blog in part to describe my day-to-day experiences, and in part to avoid having to write really long emails to people I don't know.

Beyond the above, I like the idea of having an outlet for the craziness and a forum for discussion. My business does have a website where we post all kinds of important business information such as hours of operation and pricing ( http://www.spaspace.com/ ), but it's really not the place for personality and interaction. For instance, things happen, and I think, "am I crazy?" I would like to be able to get the input of friends, family, clients and strangers to help me see the truth (where hopefully everyone will think I'm right and sane but some might tell me I'm wrong and certifiable), a place for ideas to be proposed and applauded or shut down, a place for funny stories, anecdotes, blurbs, you get the gyst. Now I haven't quite mastered this blog world yet, but if possible, I'd love suggestions for topics that are of interest to the future readers of this blog. Hopefully there will be some (suggestions and readers).

To the vast majority of socially responsible people out there, please forgive this request, but do keep in mind that this is a professional blog - linked to the website of my business - and therefore I urge restraint in your commentary. I know a person or two who might walk the line of appropriate - you know who you are - and yes, I'm speaking to you. I love you, but show some respect. Thank you.